When Dirty Grandpa was released in January, it was panned by critics and moviegoing audiences stayed fairly quiet. However, after Wylie Writes’ Shannon Page reported that the film was a funny party with irresistible chemistry between veteran actor Robert De Niro and heartthrob Zac Efron, I was inclined to check it out.
By: Addison Wylie The Haunted House films have their haters. But, these comedies also have those happy-go-lucky appreciators who laugh like hyenas with each crass joke. The difference between those two audiences is that the haters will openly vent about how these movies stink, while the others are too embarrassed to admit they chuckled. A Haunted House was a guilty pleasure of mine. It was a minor comedy that found success during its theatrical run,…
Matt Johnson’s impressive and ambitious feature film debut The Dirties is making its way onto Blu-ray and DVD after earning plenty of well-deserved accolades – including winning the Scotiabank Jay Scott Prize for the top emerging artist at January’s Toronto Film Critics Association Film Awards. The Dirties is an unsettling and unflinching look at bullying through a struggling perspective. The first-person view follows Johnson and his friend Owen (both using their real names, but taking on different on-screen…
So far in this series on Wylie Writes, re-watching Parkland has been the closest I’ve come to agreeing with the other side of the fence. However, I won’t be persuaded so easily. Peter Landesman’s drama Parkland, a film documenting the day of John F. Kennedy’s assassination and the next few days that followed it, has plenty of accomplishments. Landesman’s ability to capture 1960’s period detail is spot on, and there no sign of fabrication when the film…
Upon the invention of this series, I was hoping Does It Float? would successfully show how a movie can be conceived in different ways. It doesn’t always have to be a positive experience turning into a negative one or vice versa, however. Maybe a movie could still be a solid watch on separate occasions for different reasons. Who would’ve guessed Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s feature length directorial debut Don Jon would be that film to prove this? Don Jon was the first TIFF film…
Movie theatres can make all the difference when it comes to the movie. Some people have sadly given up on the actual moviegoing experience and hopped on over to home streaming VOD devices. It’s a bittersweet feeling realizing that you can’t blame these people for doing so. Home theatre equipment is much more accessible nowadays; and, plenty of movies are available during – or before – their theatrical release. At home, you don’t have annoying…
By: Addison Wylie When I reviewed Harmony Korine’s Spring Breakers in March, I stated that “it may very well be this year’s most argued about film.” I still stand by that, and it’s bittersweet to do so. On the one hand, I’m right. On the other, there are still movie goers that react wildly negative towards Korine’s fever dream. However, just as many people are faithful to their opinion about Spring Breakers and even go as far…
By: Addison Wylie Horror movies usually guarantee fun at the movie theatre. Whether the quality of the movie is good or not, experiencing an eerie and tense film with a group of mostly strangers – who hopefully aren’t too gabby – is a riot. Everyone is witnessing the disturbing visuals and the scares for the first time making the overall vibe very exciting and relentlessly uneasy. However, some horrors have a hard time making that…
By: Addison Wylie Now that this year’s Hot Docs coverage has come to an end, it’s time to introduce my new video segment to you all. Does It Float? will have me revisiting films I gave positive reviews to and seeing if they hold up on a second viewing. Sometimes, a film can be heightened by the experience or with a certain type of crowd. With Does It Float?, I plan to give you both sides of…